Silicon wafer configuration and method for forming same

A method for singulating a semiconductor wafer comprising a plurality of semiconductor dice arranged along a multiplicity of intersecting streets, the method comprising the steps of:

• patterning a layer of photoresist on a backside of said wafer with openings aligned to said streets on the front of the wafer;
• etching slots completely through a substrate of said wafer aligned to said streets and forming perforations with tethers between said slots interconnecting adjacent dice for maintaining said wafer mechanically intact, at least some dice having plural slots arranged along at least one side of a respective die;
• removing the photoresist layer;
• and
• severing said dice of said wafer at the points where said perforations exist and where said tethers interconnect said dice by application of pressure without scribing or sawing.

A method for singulating a semiconductor wafer comprising a plurality of silicon semiconductor dice arranged along a multiplicity of intersecting streets, the method comprising the steps of:

• patterning a layer of photoresist on a backside of said wafer to provide openings aligned to said streets on the front of the wafer;
• etching slots completely through the silicon of said wafer aligned to said streets to form perforations with tethers between said slots interconnecting adjacent dice for maintaining said wafer mechanically intact;
• removing the photoresist layer;
• severing said dice of said wafer at the points where said perforations exist and where said tethers interconnect said dice by application of pressure and without scribing and sawing;
• and
• wherein said etching step further comprises the step of forming tethers which comprise a region of reduced dimension ranging from the length of said die to a single point, said region connecting said dice to one another.

A method for singulating a semiconductor wafer comprising a plurality of silicon semiconductor dice arranged along a multiplicity of intersecting streets, the method comprising the steps of:

• patterning a layer of photoresist on a backside of said wafer to provide openings aligned to said streets on the front of the wafer,
• etching slots through the silicon of said wafer aligned to said streets forming tethers between said slots interconnecting adjacent dice for maintaining said wafer mechanically intact, said slots being formed with tapered arrowhead shaped structures at their respective ends and said tethers being formed between opposite facing arrowhead shaped structures of adjacent slots;
• removing the photoresist layer, and
• severing said dice of said wafer at the point where said tethers interconnect said dice.

A method for singulating a semiconductor silicon wafer comprising a plurality of semiconductor dice arranged along a multiplicity of intersecting streets, the method comprising the steps of:

• patterning a layer of photoresist on the backside of said silicon wafer so that openings in the layer are aligned to said streets on the front of said silicon wafer;
• forming a series of slots by etching slots through the silicon of said silicon wafer that are aligned to said streets, wherein at least plural slots are provided at at least one side of each of the dice, the slots being provided with tapered arrowhead shaped structures at their respective ends and wherein said etching step further includes the step of forming tethers between opposing arrowhead shaped structures of adjacent ones of said slots the tethers interconnecting adjacent dice for maintaining said wafer mechanically intact;
• removing said layer of photoresist from said backside of said silicon wafer;
• and separating said dice of said silicon wafer along said slots.

A method for singulating a semiconductor silicon wafer comprising a plurality of semiconductor dice arranged along a multiplicity of intersecting streets, the method comprising the steps of;

• patterning a layer of photoresist on the backside of said silicon wafer so that openings in the layer are aligned to said streets on the front of said silicon wafer,
• forming a series of slots by etching slots through the silicon of said silicon wafer that are aligned to said streets, wherein at least plural slots are provided at at least one side of each of the dice and wherein said slots are each tapered at each end at an angle<45 degrees;
• removing said layer of photoresist from said backside of said silicon wafer;
• and
• separating said dice of said silicon wafer along said slots.